[buckiejagsman]

Formartine United & Turriff United have both been accepted as Associate Members of SFA after a meeting at Hampden today. This means that both sides will be competing in next seasons Scottish cup and will receive SFA payouts.
Well done Formartine & Turra

[WaffenThinMint]

Congratulations to both, who have worked extremely hard to get the club on and off the field to be a credit to the Highland League when they took the step up (puts on tin helmet in case any North Juniors fans are reading!).

[HibeeJibee]

Big well done to both clubs.

Downside of this is that... unless no-one else joins AND no non-member wins a Senior league AND a Junior does the double... 2 clubs will face a Scottish Cup Preliminary tie, potentially before the season even starts!!

[Kitty_Boy]

HibeeJibee, on 02 February 2012 - 23:09, said:

Big well done to both clubs.

Downside of this is that... unless no-one else joins AND no non-member wins a Senior league AND a Junior does the double... 2 clubs will face a Scottish Cup Preliminary tie, potentially before the season even starts!!

What happens if a SFA member wins a Senior league OR a Junior club doesn't do the double?

[HibeeJibee]

As things currently stand there's 1 more club due for R1 than there are places. Hence 1 preliminary tie will be required.

However if a Junior wins the double the rules don't admit a runner-up... so if that happened, and no extra teams qualified via winning their Senior league (e.g. Stirling University), then there would be no need for a Preliminary tie.


And if e.g. Stirling University won the EOS League, and a Junior didn't do the double, there'd actually have to be 2 preliminary ties since entry points would be:

Pre... 4 randomly drawn sides
R1... 2 Pre winners, plus 34 from 15x HFL, 11x EOS, 4x SOS, 4x Junior qualifiers, Girvan, Golspie, Glasgow Uni, Burntisland
R2... 2x HFL, 1x EOS (Stirling), 1x SOS, 10 SFL3

[Kitty_Boy]

Thanks for clearing that up.

[Sherrif John Bunnell]

Good news for both those teams and the Highland League. Hopefully Strathspey won't be too far behind as it is a great wee set up they have in Grantown.

[strathspey thistle]

Sherrif John Bunnell, on 03 February 2012 - 12:42, said:

Good news for both those teams and the Highland League. Hopefully Strathspey won't be too far behind as it is a great wee set up they have in Grantown.

Strathspey wont be far behind them (a season) in 2013-14 season they should be in also, work starts next week at seafield park to put solid fencing round the whole ground and convert the "scout" hut into permenant toilets,have a 1st aid room in there and also catering facilites in there, the moneys in place and everything ready to go !

[fan of the juniors]

Interested to know what improvements these clubs made to qualify them for membership?
As having been at a few north junior league and highland league grounds in the past the difference is night and day
Most juniors(banks o dee apart) are a public park with a fence round it while the highland league grounds are quite tidy(been to forres and fort william)
Girvan are associate members and there park isnt any better than your average junior ground but i understand as because they were there a while they didnt have to put in place the new arrangements when they reverted back to the juniors

This post has been edited by fan of the juniors: 04 February 2012 - 14:05

[strathspey thistle]

fan of the juniors, on 04 February 2012 - 14:05, said:

Interested to know what improvements these clubs made to qualify them for membership?
As having been at a few north junior league and highland league grounds in the past the difference is night and day
Most juniors(banks o dee apart) are a public park with a fence round it while the highland league grounds are quite tidy(been to forres and fort william)
Girvan are associate members and there park isnt any better than your average junior ground but i understand as because they were there a while they didnt have to put in place the new arrangements when they reverted back to the juniors

we have to have a fully enclosed pitch with a solid fence,more powerful floodlights, a 1st aid room, and permenant toilets,there was more but i think they reduced the criterisa

This post has been edited by strathspey thistle: 04 February 2012 - 19:39

[satnav]

strathspey thistle, on 04 February 2012 - 19:38, said:

we have to have a fully enclosed pitch with a solid fence,more powerful floodlights, a 1st aid room, and permenant toilets,there was more but i think they reduced the criterisa

Why didn't you put up the correct fence in the first place? The reason that Formartine and Turrif are now members is that they moved on from the Juniors and your lot haven't.

[strathspey thistle]

satnav, on 04 February 2012 - 19:50, said:

Why didn't you put up the correct fence in the first place? The reason that Formartine and Turrif are now members is that they moved on from the Juniors and your lot haven't.

Formartine + Turriff didnt and never have had any objectors who complain about everything that happens there and still do, the solid fence being one they made a big deal about and took ages to get planning and has conditions attached.They also complain about things like floodlights being on to long and burger van being there, so trying gtting the facts right 1st ,rather than assuming things

[HibeeJibee]

I think you have to give credit to Formartine and Turriff, and Strathspey if they're only a year behind, since it's fairly rare for anyone to be admitted to Associate Membership now the bar is so high. Infact - I struggle to think of an example more recent than Inverurie after joining HFL in 2001 (plus Gretna FC when they hopped-over from English football in 2002).

So unless I've forgotten someone, they're the first clubs in a decade to vault the criteria hurdle, which is impressive and worthy of plaudits.

[strathspey thistle]

HibeeJibee, on 04 February 2012 - 21:25, said:

I think you have to give credit to Formartine and Turriff, and Strathspey if they're only a year behind, since it's fairly rare for anyone to be admitted to Associate Membership now the bar is so high. Infact - I struggle to think of an example more recent than Inverurie after joining HFL in 2001 (plus Gretna FC when they hopped-over from English football in 2002).

So unless I've forgotten someone, they're the first clubs in a decade to vault the criteria hurdle, which is impressive and worthy of plaudits.

very true , i dont think Satnav HAS EVER said a good thing about Strathspey Thistle, ok we might not be perfect but we have a awful lot going for us on and off the park and it will all come together soon, take our youth development system , it has been said by many its one of the best in the hl, and only been running 2 years, so its not all doom and gloom

[HibeeJibee]

It will be a bit of a shame for you next season when all the other clubs are playing in the tournament, and you're sitting on the sidelines (and potentially missing-out on SFA payments too). However, on the flipside, I'm sure that "ugly duckling factor" will motivate you to get things finished.

It also gives you the luxury of over a year to do it, as opposed to rushing to try to make next season's competition.

[strathspey thistle]

HibeeJibee, on 04 February 2012 - 22:02, said:

It will be a bit of a shame for you next season when all the other clubs are playing in the tournament, and you're sitting on the sidelines (and potentially missing-out on SFA payments too). However, on the flipside, I'm sure that "ugly duckling factor" will motivate you to get things finished.

It also gives you the luxury of over a year to do it, as opposed to rushing to try to make next season's competition.

even if we rushed and had it done in say 4-6 weeks couldnt get in for next season anyway as the committiee sit only twice a year and you have to wait until the start of the next season

[CALDERON]

Ive been going to along to watch Formartine for the past few years, on weeknights or Saturdays when the Rovers havent been playing, and the imporvements to the ground are very noticeable. Much better car parking facilities, new turnstile blocks (rather than a man in a hut), large perimeter fencing and a general tidy up.

Was up at Turiff vs Broara the other week and that ground is looking very good also, I'd be more than happy to visit either ground on cup business based on facilities alone.

[satnav]

strathspey thistle, on 04 February 2012 - 21:45, said:

very true , i dont think Satnav HAS EVER said a good thing about Strathspey Thistle, ok we might not be perfect but we have a awful lot going for us on and off the park and it will all come together soon, take our youth development system , it has been said by many its one of the best in the hl, and only been running 2 years, so its not all doom and gloom

You keep singing the same old song but the TRUTH is you DON'T have a setup OFF or ON the park to make any significant improvement. If you have continual objections from neighbours, you have a problem with these people so why not get them ON your side - there MUST be a reason they don't like the club - are there personality problems or do they just hate football? If you can't sort that out you are all wasting your time and money and will eventually end up back in the junior leagues - where you will probably enjoy your football.

[strathspey thistle]

satnav, on 05 February 2012 - 11:23, said:

You keep singing the same old song but the TRUTH is you DON'T have a setup OFF or ON the park to make any significant improvement

you know this for sure do you?? as i said our youth development is 2nd to none but why should i waste my breath and time on someone who obviously knows MORE than anyone invovled with the club

[satnav]

strathspey thistle, on 05 February 2012 - 11:59, said:

you know this for sure do you?? as i said our youth development is 2nd to none but why should i waste my breath and time on someone who obviously knows MORE than anyone invovled with the club

Oh for gods sake man wake up and smell the coffee! Your Youth Development will NOT provide you with a full team to compete in the SHFL - FACT! Football is a sport and should be enjoyed by those who play and support the team - if you are honest is that the case at Grantown? I don't think so. Why do the money people in Speyside not come out and support your club? A serious question you should all think about and when you get the answer - you should all get a pair and take action!

[strathspey thistle]

satnav, on 05 February 2012 - 17:42, said:

Oh for gods sake man wake up and smell the coffee! Your Youth Development will NOT provide you with a full team to compete in the SHFL - FACT! Football is a sport and should be enjoyed by those who play and support the team - if you are honest is that the case at Grantown? I don't think so. Why do the money people in Speyside not come out and support your club? A serious question you should all think about and when you get the answer - you should all get a pair and take action!

ye whatever you run rangers successfully do you, enough said on this subject someones going on ignore sick of the crap being spouted

[satnav]

strathspey thistle, on 05 February 2012 - 17:59, said:

ye whatever you run rangers successfully do you, enough said on this subject someones going on ignore sick of the crap being spouted

Maybe a reply like this is an indication of why you didn't get membership and why you are firmly at the bottom of the league

[grazza]

Great to see more clubs able to compete in the Scottish cup. Taking this away slightly from the highland clubs, with success of big cup ties e.g. trips to Hearts and Hibs for Talbot and Meadow is there not any mutterings for junior teams to get some sort of associate membership. I realise that Girvan perhaps exception to the rule having being recently in SOS league. I assume that they could not become full members until competing in a SFA endorsed league but junior clubs as a whole would be a great addition to the cup, perhaps there would be a need to double up early rounds with their own cup as qualifying for Scottish cup e.g. top 32 go into Senior Scottish cup as well as progressing in their own cup. Or would there be relutctance to allow so many strong teams outside of SPL/SFL as it will dillute the likelyhood of current members of getting a big cup draw. I would love to see as many teams in the Scottish cup as possible. Perhaps at same time the Junior Cup could allow EOS, Highland and SOS compete in their competition.

[HibeeJibee]

Any club can apply for SFA membership, it isn't dependant on playing in a Senior league. However, from 2016 the Scottish Cup is going to be for Full Members with a club license only - that will narrow, not widen, the field.

All clubs in Scotland are Registered Members of SFA.

I don't see Junior entry expanding beyond their 4 qualifiers any time soon.

[Bundesliga Boy]

HibeeJibee, on 06 February 2012 - 00:10, said:

Any club can apply for SFA membership, it isn't dependant on playing in a Senior league. However, from 2016 the Scottish Cup is going to be for Full Members with a club license only - that will narrow, not widen, the field.

All clubs in Scotland are Registered Members of SFA.

I don't see Junior entry expanding beyond their 4 qualifiers any time soon.

Out of curiosity, does that potentially mean that Turriff/Formartine who as we know will be playing in the cup from next season, will actually have to sit out the 2016/17 as they wont be full members until the following season as it takes 5 years to become a full member.